In 2014, students from schools in Dothan, Alabama broke the world record for the largest hip hop dance routine. Nearly 2,000 students gathered at a local civic centre and broke the previous record of 1,000 performers, which was set in Japan.
The students spent eight weeks rehearsing the performance, which involved dancing to a mash-up of different hip hop songs. The dance routine was choreographed by Patti Rutland Jazz’s outreach program, a program that offers hip hop classes and other forms of dance lessons to students in Dothan and the surrounding areas. For a video of the students’ performance, see the link at the bottom of the page.
Benefits of Hip Hop Dance Classes
The students in Dothan’s record-breaking performance may just inspire your child to beat their record when you sign them up for hip hop dance lessons in Maple. Besides offering inspiration, hip hop dancing has a number of aerobic benefits that are beneficial to your child’s overall health. It’s an excellent form of exercise that offers multiple health benefits for your child, including the following:
Anaerobic Benefits
While hip hop dancing can be great cardio, it can also help your child strengthen their muscles, too. They are working out aerobically every time they make a step while dancing. By pushing themselves to learn more complex routines and training their muscles beyond the typical routine they’re used to, it can help tone their muscles and increase the flexibility and elasticity in their joints. In order to reap the anaerobic benefits of hip hop dancing, your child should first learn the basics of the genre and then they can start to push themselves a bit further each time they practice.
Health Benefits
Physical Health
A major advantage of hip hop dance is that it’s a full body workout. A typical class of 60 minutes can have your child dripping in sweat, depending on the intensity. Consistently raising your child’s heart rate will promote cardiovascular health, and can strengthen the muscles in their arms, legs, and core—they can even improve their bone and joint health by practising hip hop a few times a week. The physical benefits of hip hop dance are immense, and the best part is that your child can take advantage of them while learning cool and fun techniques.
Mental Health
The health benefits of hip hop aren’t just physical—this genre of dance can help keep your child’s psyche happy, too. Exercise in general relieves stress, and music can decrease anxiety and depression. Combining music and dance makes for a therapeutic, yet fun way for your child to decompress. In addition, they will increase their muscle memory when dancing, which will help them be more co-ordinated and in tune their your body during their everyday life.
Social Benefits
Dance classes are usually taught in groups, which means that your child will have the opportunity to meet new people outside of their regular social circle. This is an especially important aspect for young children—it’s imperative to help them foster good social skills from an early age, so that they can carry them though life. You child can meet people from all walks of life at a dance class, since there’s no rhyme or reason to who joins.
In addition to being a great socialization opportunity, dance classes also offer a safe space for children. Kids are under a ton of pressure from parents, peers, and teachers, and could end up in the wrong place at the wrong time if they’re not given the right outlets to express their energy. Hip hop classes near you are a fantastic way to keep kids out of trouble, and keep them healthy.
Cognitive Benefits
Believe it or not, you can actually improve your child’s cognitive skills through hip hop dance. A new study conducted showed that gaining experience in hip hop dance could improve certain social and cognitive skills in individuals. One of the main findings proved that hip hop dance may grant some advantages in terms of education—specifically, it would improve some underlying activities that help students succeed in math and science classes, and in social settings.
Cardio Benefits
Hip hop dance gets your child’s heart rate up and increases the flow of oxygen. And since it requires your child to be continually moving, this is one of the best forms of dance for aerobic exercise. It’s also an excellent fat-burning exercise. In addition to aiding in weight loss, hip hop can also lower blood pressure and relieve stress, as well as give a much-needed energy boost. Coupled with an improved diet, taking hip hop classes will transform your child’s fitness level.
Strength-Building Benefits
In addition to being a great way to burn calories and improve fitness, registering your child for hip hop classes in Vaughan can also help to build your child’s strength. As they learn more and more complex routines, they will build their muscles in a way that other forms of exercise can’t.
Hip hop dance lessons for children generally start with the basics, but gradually build in complexity, helping your child to build their muscle strength. You’ll see your child perform complex dance routines with ease. Quality dance studies often employ instructors who are dancers themselves, so they know the importance of taking the time to teach the moves to students at the most basic level, gradually building up to more complex moves.
Other Benefits
Hip hop classes provide a fast-paced, yet fun environment in which your child will get exercise and make new friends. Learning to dance is a great way to bring a shy child out of their shell and build confidence. Who knows? Your child and their classmates may just be inspired by the students in Alabama and try to break their record or create a video that will go viral on YouTube.
Having an appreciation for hip hop helps, but even if it isn’t your child’s favourite kind of music, taking hip hop dance lessons offers a number of benefits for kids that are important to their overall health. It’s a great way for your child to stay healthy and have fun.
For those interested in signing up their child for hip hop lessons in Vaughan or Maple, Performing Dance Arts is a great place to start. With instructors who are dancers themselves and an inviting and inclusive atmosphere, Performing Dance Arts’ dance lessons are a great way to get your child to be excited about getting active. For more information on their hip hop dance lessons in Vaughan or Maple, contact Performing Dance Arts today.
Source:
Grenoble, R., “2,000 School Kids Break World Hip Hop Dance Record, Show ‘No Dream Is Too Big’,” The Huffington Post, November 21, 2014; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/21/world-record-largest-hip-hop-dance-video_n_6193236.html?utm_hp_ref=good-news.
